At-risk wildlife 'must be saved now'

The wildlife of developing countries could go the way of the dodo and great auk unless western nations fund essential conservation projects, an international conference will be told this week.

The Seventh Conference of the Parties on biodiversity, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, brings together almost 200 countries with the aim of reducing species extinction rates by 2010. The RSPB, part of BirdLife International, is calling on First World nations to help achieve this by honouring commitments to support wildlife and people who have an impact on it.

Deserts, inland lakes, temperate grasslands and marine areas are among the highest priorities. Less than one per cent of the world's seas are protected and 88 per cent of coral reefs in south-east Asia, which sustain rare species such as the cone snail, are threatened by human activity.

Endangered birds include the great Indian bustard, of which there are fewer than 1,000, the hyacinth macaw, the marbled teal and Seychelles magpie-robin.

All thrive in habitats now at risk from logging, agriculture and development.

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"Only a major international effort to protect these crucial areas on which our remaining wildlife depends will save some of the world's most cherished natural habitats," said Alistair Gammell, director of international operations at the RSPB.